Cornflakes
by aaquater
Summary: With Dudley Dursley, everything involves food, so why would his proposal be an exception?


_Well... this is just an idea that popped in my head while I was... guess what? Eating Cornflakes. It's my opinion on Dudley's proposal and how did he change after the war. I always believed that, even though it had to take something really big, both Dudley and Draco were able to gain some common sense and move from parroting everything Vernon/Lucius said to something else, so in this story Dudley is portrayed like a 'good' person._

_Just a tiny warning: I'm not a native English speaker, so if you're a grammar Nazi, please note that I won't be held responsible for any heart attacks you might get from reading my (hopefully not so much) mistake-spiked story._

_Never thought I'd be writing fluff, but here it is. My best friend said it's good, so I decided to post it here._

_Disclaimer: 1. Look at the text above. 2. Use your common sense. 3. If your IQ is bigger than the number of your ears, you should be able to see that I'm not J. K. Rowling. (Especially since that would mean that I wrote the Philosopher's stone at the age of one, which would be kinda... impossible.)_

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><p>Dudley Dursley was nervously pacing around the dining table at Privet drive number four. His girlfriend Monica Quinn was supposed to come for the evening and, though the two of them had been dating for almost three years, this time Dudley had something very special planned and he was worried that it'll go wrong. Monica was already about ten minutes late and, though she's by no means a punctual person, with every passing second Dudley's worry increased.<p>

He checked the bowls of Cornflakes that were lying besides the sink - things that nobody would suppose weren't ordinary, but for Dudley, they (well, their contents actually) were very special and it was necessary for them to be exactly how he wanted.

To anyone who knew Dudley as a fourteen years old fat boy who bullied everyone around, wore XXXL clothing and hated vegetables, this person would seem like someone else. Not so much by appearance, even though the large amounts of fat that once occupied his body were now replaced mostly by muscles, but the biggest change was in his personality. Nobody, maybe except his parents and cousin really knew why, but the rumor was that since he got sick just out of the blue one August evening eight years ago, he got a different point of view for many things. For one, he stopped going out with his gang and destroying public property. For two, he got the ability to actually say 'Now I've had enough food.' to himself. For three, his grades improved rapidly since then. All in all, we can say that on August 2nd, 1995 a new Dudley Dursley was born, even though this changing of Dudley's personality took quite some time.

Now, Dudley was a grown 23-year old man, whose job was a professional boxer (in the UK ranking he was in the top 15 in his weight cathegory) and he worked part-time in a car repair shop. He hadn't gone to University, meaning he had only his Primary and Secondary school completed, but he took a special course for car-repairing. He still loved watching TV, eating and playing action games on computer (although he didn't do the latter often) and he still ate while watching TV, but since his father did the same, he didn't feel the need to stop with this habit of his. However, one more thing (person) was added to this list almost three years ago and took first place immediately - his girlfriend, Monica.

Monica Idony Quinn was, for a lack of a better word, the exact opposite of Dudley before 1995. She was almost 22 years old, 5 ft 9, slim, with long dark brown hair she very often wore in a ponytail and bright eyes, the color of which Dudley once described as 'hazel, with a slight touch of pistachio'. She had a cheeky attitude with a mischievous streak that occasionally showed and she hated bullying and stereotyping. These two traits combined - well, let's say if you were bullying someone and Monica saw you, you had a good chance of finding a rotten tomato in your shoe one day. Another one of Monica's significant signs was her obsession with cornflakes, something Dudley counted on when planning this evening.

"Dudley, darling, why don't you sit down? It's not healthy for you to be pacing like that," Dudley's mother, Petunia suggested. Dudley didn't tell his parents what he was planning, only that his girlfriend was going to visit, so Petunia was concerned about her son pacing - in her point of view - for no reason at all.

Dudley sighed. He caught his mum's eye and sat down on the sofa, now digging his fingers into his knees in nervousness. He didn't remember ever feeling so jittery. Not when he came home with a report card full of average to bad marks, 'cause he didn't care back then. Not when his dad took him to that horrible old shack on his cousin's eleventh birthday, that wasn't nervousness what he felt, but something else. Not when he went to a safe house, because he understood, really understood the war only a good while after it ended. No, the only time that can compare had, too, something to do with Monica. Dudley replayed the scene in his head. He finally gathered the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend and she, instead of a verbal answer, jumped on him and kissed him so fiercely that he was glad he didn't have the body proportions of his cousin or she would've knocked him over. The corners of Dudley's lips turned upwards as he hoped that today, it would not end in a disaster, but more like then. However, this was a far more serious matter.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang - two times a long tune, one short and again one long - the signature ringing sound of the very person Dudley was waiting for. He jumped like he was standing on a trampoline instead of solid ground and ran to the front door. With his weight being 257 pounds, it wasn't really the most silent sound you can hear. It even tore his dad from watching TV, and that's not an easy feat.

"Hi," Monica beamed as soon as she was able to see her boyfriend. (The Dursleys' front door didn't have a window.) The couple shared one short, sweet kiss, Monica kicked her sneakers down and went into the house. "Where did you leave that herd of elephants I heard?" she asked, grinning.

"Mon," Dudley groaned, "do you have to pick on me everytime you see me?"

Monica shook her head, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Nope. I can't pick on you when we're snogging. Hello," Monica said, directing the last word to Dudley's parents.

"Hi Monica, good to see you," Petunia said and the two hugged while Vernon merely nodded to show that he's aware of the presence of a guest in his house. "Do you want something to drink? I have fresh tea, it's a new kind, one I haven't known about before. It's a plum tea. Do you want to try it?"

Monica smiled. "Yes, thank you. Uh, I can pour it myself, you didn't have to..." She trailed off when Petunia poured some tea in a glass that had been lying on a sink, drying.

"It's no problem, my dear," Petunia waved it off and handed a now full glass to Monica, who nodded her thanks and drank it in five big gulps.

Meanwhile, Dudley was wondering how on Earth could drinking tea be considered cute. 'But it is,' one part of his mind argued. 'Don't tell me she doesn't look cute now, with her eyes closed and the glass just missing the tip of her nose.'

Dudley closed his eyes and prayed to everyone that his thoughts weren't visible. Otherwise, he could wave goodbye to his manly pride and his ears could prepare for another round of Monica's teasing.

"It was delicious, where did you buy it?" Monica asked when she put the glass next to the kettle.

"Actually, I didn't. I believe it was Vernon's secretaire who I have it from. Is it right, Vernon?"

"Huh?" Vernon asked, not listening to the dialogue and only noticing his name being said.

"That plum tea. It's from your secretaire, isn't it?"

"Um... yeah, she gave me the box. Said she recommends it to you." Vernon scratched the back of his head and focused again on the television.

"Oh, so you don't know where I can buy it?" Monica asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"Uh... Mon?" Dudley interrupted the dialogue. "Wanna have some Cornflakes?"

Monica's eyes brightened. "'Course I want! Do you have to ask?"

Dudley smiled. "Let's eat them in my room," he said, picking up two spoons and the bowls he prepared beforehand, making sure he knew which one was his and which his girlfriend's.

Monica only shrugged. "Any place is good for me if there are Cornflakes," she stated, following Dudley out of the sitting room.

Dudley raised his thick blonde eyebrows. "Even the... sea?"

"No," Monica replied as the two made their way up the staircase, "'cos then the Cornflakes would be salty and gross. Who knows what toxic chemicals are in sea water anyway. Um, you didn't take milk. Should I?"

"Don't," Dudley yelled in alarm. Milk would ruin his plans! The Cornflakes have to stay dry this time.

Monica looked at her boyfriend oddly, but obliged. "Everyone has a right to have some moments of insanity," she muttered.

When the couple came to Dudley's bedroom, Monica plopped herself on Dudley's bed and Dudley handed her the right bowl before joining her.

"I see you tidied up this time," Monica commented.

Dudley blushed. There were clothes - some more or less clean, some dirty - thrown all around his room. He was so focused on preparing the Cornflakes, he completely forgot to clean the mess that was in his room. He mentally cursed. 'So much for the plan going smoothly,' he thought.

"So... glued some big cars together recently?" Monica asked between spoonfuls of Cornflakes.

"Glued," Dudley snorted. "No, I don't think anyone would be pleased if I put glue in his car. But I'm working on a nice Jaguar now. It has a faulty gearbox."

"Sweet. So, how fast did you go with it? 120 MPH or more?"

Dudley raised his eyebrows. "It had a broken gearbox, and now it has no shifter. I can only drive a car like that in Need For Speed."

Monica pouted. "You're no fun. I thought you'd at least participate in some illegal underground races."

"With a damaged car? No, I'm trying to make the cars capable of driving again, not make myself also unable to move after some accident. Would you like it if I had a broken leg?"

Monica smiled mischievously, but didn't get to say anything. As she scooped up another spoon of Cornflakes, she saw something glistering in the bowl. She frowned and stirred the Cornflakes to see if it was only a trick of light, or if there really was something in her bowl.

However, once she found it, she wasn't able to do anything but gape. There, in her spoon, between Cornflakes, was a beautiful golden ring with a small sapphire fitted into it.

Monica clamped her free hand (the one not holding the spoon) to her mouth, her eyes shining. Could this really mean what she thought it meant? It would explain Dudley's odd behaviour, that's for sure.

When she looked up, she saw that her boyfriend was no longer sitting on the bed. Instead, he was kneeling in front of her and she saw nervousness, but also resolution in his eyes. It made her heart beat hard and her mouth drop a little, although the movement was masked by her hand.

"Monica," Dudley spoke, looking directly into her eyes, hazel meeting blue. "I can't think about any moment that made me extremely happy that doesn't have something to do with you. A few years ago... I don't know, it's like you opened me a door that I always kept on overlooking. Since I first saw you, almost every dream that I remembered in the morning somehow involved you. I know for sure that you helped to make me a better person, with your great sense of humor and everything. I've been addicted to computer games or junk food before, and now I'm addicted to you. The only difference is that I don't want to get rid of this addiction, so... would you please make me an honor and marry me?"

Monica finally uncovered her mouth, tears of joy and happiness prickling her eyes and blurring her vision. 'That was so sweet, but at the same time so... Dudley,' she thought. She put the bowl of Cornflakes on Dudley's bedside table and reached for his hand. "Of course," she breathed, jumped down from the bed and kissed him passionately.

After several minutes, they finally broke away, Dudley grinning and Monica beaming, both feeling the happiest they ever felt in their lives.

"So I guess I can't say that I have a boyfriend anymore, huh?" Monica stated, planting one more kiss on Dudley's cheek.

"Yeah... now you're my fiancé. Um... the ring?" Dudley said awkwardly.

"Right. The ring. It won't be good if I ate it, will it? For my stomach, I mean."

"That would be one expensive Cornflake," Dudley chuckled, fishing the ring from the bowl and attempting to put it on his, now fiancé's, finger.

She, however, kept her fists firmly pressed. "Try to figure it out," she smirked. "It won't count if you open my fists by force."

Dudley thought for a moment and then grinned. After three years, some of Monica's mischievous ways rubbed off on him. "Fine. As you wish, Mylady."

Monica giggled, and it soon changed into an outright laughter as Dudley started to tickle her. Dudley's idea was that she'd rather open her fists than wet herself. At her place, he wouldn't have been so sure ('With Monica, everything's possible,' he thought), but now she had no other clothes to change into, so she'd probably want to avoid having an accident.

"Dudley,_ stop it!_" Monica cried. "Stop tickling, I mean it! Or I'll eat all your Cornflakes and you'll stay hungry!" At least, that's what Dudley figured she said. Monica's laughing fit made it quite hard for her to pronounce properly.

"I think not," Dudley smiled, continuing with 'persuading' his fiancé to open her fists even despite her mock glaring at him. After all, he knew she was, in fact, enjoying it, or as much as one can while being afraid of creating a big, wet spot on her pants.

After a while, Monica resorted to slapping and punching Dudley, which was a mistake. Dudley, being a professional boxer, had no problem catching her hand before it came to contact with his body. So Dudley waited for an opportunity, ducking punches and waiting for a slap. When one came, he stopped tickling her and caught her fingers in a millisecond. However, that didn't mean he stopped to play on his fiancé's ribs like on a guitar with his other hand.

"_Okay! I surrender!_" Monica yelled, putting her remaining hand up in a sign of defeat, when she felt she won't be able to hold it in much longer anymore.

Thankfully, Dudley got the hint. He stopped tickling Monica and both fell on their backs on Dudley's bed, breathing deeply and still holding hands, their faces both flushed and smiling.

Dudley blindly reached for the ring, not wanting to tear his eyes from the beautiful girl next to him. When he found it, he finally put it on Monica's finger. She did not resist this time. Quite the contrary, her mouth formed a wide, beaming smile as she watched how the ring fit perfectly on her finger. "Beautiful," she whispered and rolled to kiss Dudley on the cheek.

"Nothing on you," Dudley retorted.

"Have you been watching soap operas?" Monica grinned. "That's not like you at all. Not that I'm complaining if it means that you're going to complement me more often now, of course."

Dudley snorted fondly and returned the cheek-kissing action. "I can assure you that I have not been watching any soap operas. Although, I have to say I'm quite offended that you think I'm unable to complement someone."

"That's not what I meant!" Monica swatted Dudley's shoulder lightly. "Anyway..." She suppressed a yawn that was threatening to come as a result of yesterday's staying up very late. "I think you owe me something."

Dudley raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "And what am I supposed to owe you, eh?"

Monica sat up and took Dudley's bowl of Cornflakes in her free hand. Then, with a glance at Dudley, she spilled all of the contents in the other bowl. "I told you to stop or this happens, didn't I?" she grinned. "Any more metal parts in this that I should know about?"

When she received a negative answer, she happily started munching on the Cornflakes. Dudley only sighed fondly and threw one arm around Monica's shoulders carefully, so he won't cause her to spill any Cornflakes. With Monica, that was an unforgivable crime and he didn't want her sulking for a week.

"Don't play with it so we can break the news through to mum and dad," Dudley murmured, watching Monica's ear moving as she chewed Cornflakes and looked like the happiest person on Earth.

"What? You didn't tell them that you were planning to propose to me?" Monica exclaimed through a full mouth, her eyes getting a mischievous twinkle that Dudley learned to be wary of.

"Uh-huh. D'you have a plan or something?"

"You can say that..." Monica grinned. "But I'll tell you after I finish this bowl of heaven."

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><p>"Monica," Petunia exclaimed, surprised. "What happened? You look like you've been crying. And where is Dudley, he stayed upstairs?"<p>

"It's going to be okay, Mrs. Dursley," Monica responded, crossing her arms so the ring on her finger won't be visible. "I... just have to tell you something. We... Dudley and I... he's not my boyfriend... anymore." She looked on the ground, struggling not to grin.

Petunia gasped. "Surely not! Why? I thought you worked well with each other, why did you break up?"

When Monica didn't say anything, Petunia abandoned the kitchen counter where she had been making some toasts for dinner and hugged the girl that, in her point of view, was trying hard not to cry. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Monica shook her head. "You don't have to be. We both agreed on it. Basically, it was Dudley's idea, but I did not protest. I, too, thought that it was for the better that we're not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore."

Petunia sighed. She thought that Monica was perfect for her Diddy, but it seemed like they disagreed.

Then, Dudley appeared, carrying both bowls and spoons and put them in the dishwasher. After that, he caught Monica's eye. She shook her head and gestured to her crossed arms. Dudley nodded, satisfied. The whole exchange went unnoticed by both Petunia and Vernon, who was only aware of Monica returning back to the sitting room, nothing more, courtesy of his eyes being stuck to the TV screen.

"Diddy, why?" Petunia asked sadly and let go of Monica. "Do you not love her anymore?"

Dudley stood next to his fiancé. "I thought it would be for the better," he said, avoiding a direct answer to his mum's question.

"And I think that now..." Monica scratched the back of her head and then let her hands fall freely, "I'm feeling more... free."

Petunia sighed. "It's your choice, and if you think that this is how it has to... wait," she noticed something, "Monica, what's that on your finger?"

Monica grinned and showed off her hand to her future mother-in-law. "This, Mrs. Dursley, is the reason why I'm no longer Dudley's girlfriend. We're engaged," she said and kissed Dudley softly.

"She said yes," Dudley grinned.

"Nuh-uh, I didn't."

"You did," Dudley argued, confused.

"Nope!"

"How come?"

"I said 'Of course,' you dummy!" Monica explained and Dudley rolled his eyes.

Petunia put one hand to her mouth, and after the banter, she took Monica's hand in the other. "Engaged?" she said ina shocked whisper. "That's amazing!"

"I know, right?" Monica said. "I had no idea Dudley could be so sweet."

"I'm so happy for you," Petunia squealed and embraced both of the newly engaged in a hug. "But why did you act like you've just broken up?"

"So it would be a bigger surprise," Monica grinned and gave a snort at the sight of Vernon still watching TV. "Nice," she commented, jabbing her thumb at him, "it certanly adds to the emotional scene."

Petunia sighed. "Of course. _Vernon!_"

"Huh?" Vernon tore his eyes from the TV to look at his wife.

"Your son has just gotten engaged and you're sitting there watching television!"

When Vernon's brain processed this information, he stood up, voluntarily walked away from the TV and clapped his son on the shoulder. "Congratulations, son. You're going to be a proper, married man, now."

"About that," Monica spoke, "When is the wedding?"

While the four of them were discussing the further plans, unknown to them, two young adults shared a high-five under an Invisibility cloak.

"I told you she'll try to trick them," Ginny Potter told her husband and stretched her hand. "So, I think someone owes me five galleons."

Harry grumbled, but handed the money to his wife. "Okay, okay. I'm never betting against you again."

Ginny pouted and the pair prepared themselves for Apparating from Privet drive to their house. "That's a pity, 'cause I have another bet ready. How long d'you think it will take 'till you become an uncle?"

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><p><em>A weird ending, I know, but I really didn't know how to end it. Anyway, thanks to all of you that managed to read this until the end, it means a lot to me :)<em>

_Maybe I'll write a sequel that takes place several years after this, but I'm not sure. I haven't got any good inspiration yet._

_Review, if you want to make me jump with joy and receive stares questioning my sanity..._


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